Spool



United States Patent 3,003,715 SPOOL Robert L. Seigle, 7812 Lexington Ave., Philadelphia 15, Pa. Filed Feb. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 792,762 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-125.1)

This invention relates to a spool, and more particu larly to a spool for carrying or containing yarn, thread, and the like filamentary materials.

In the textile industry, winding machines, twisting machines, and other textile apparatus are fed with the yarn, thread or like filamentary material from a spool on which the yarn or thread is wound. To obtain a continuous feed of the yarn to the machine, the yarn is usually wound on the spool with the tail end of the yarn being free and accessible. The tail end of the yarn is tied to the leading or trail end of the yarn on another spool. Thus, when the yarn on the first spool becomes exhausted, the feed of the yarn is automatically transferred to the second spool.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spool for carrying or containing yarn, thread, or the like filamentary material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a spool on which a yarn can be wound with the tail end of the yarn being accessible.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spool on which a yarn can be easily wound with the yarn being evenly distributed along the spool, and with the tail end of the yarn being accessible.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, of the spool of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the spool of the present invention taken along line 33 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawing, the spool of the present invention is generally designated as 10.

Spool comprises a tubular, cylindrical, wooden barrel 12. The bore 14 of barrel 12 is of decreasing diameter from the bottom end of the barrel 12 to the top end of the barrel 12. Barrel 12 has a reduced outer diameter bottom end portion 16. The ends 14a and 14b of the bore 14 of barrel 12 are threaded, and tubular, metal bushings 18 and 20 are threaded into the threaded ends 14:: and 14b respectively. The bushings 18 and 20 each have a plurality of prongs 22 and 24 respectively punched therefrom which prongs 22 and 24 bite into the barrel 12 to lock the bushings 18 and 20 from rotating with respect to the barrel 12.

An annular head 26 is secured around the upper end of barrel 12. Head 26 has an annular flange 28 extending radially therefrom adjacent its upper end, and an annular groove 30 in its outer periphery next to the flange 28. Head 26 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed grooves 32 extending longitudinally from the annular groove 30 to the bottom of the head 26. Each of the grooves 32 extends radially inwardly to the bottom of the annular groove 30. As shown in FIG- URE 4, the head 26 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending ribs 34 on its inner surface. Ribs 34 bite into the outer surface of barrel 12 to prevent the head 26 from rotating with respect to the Patented Oct. 10, 1961 "ice barrel 12. The head 26 is secured to the barrel 12 by a cement or the like. A metal clip 36 is secured to the bottom of flange 28 by a screw 38.

An annular head 49 is secured around the reduced bottom end 16 of barrel 12. Bottom head 40 comprises a pair of annular rings 42 and 44 secured together by rivets 46. Rings 42 and 44 have aligned central openings 48 and 50 respectively which are of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the bottom end 14b of the bore 14 of barrel 12. Ring 42 has a counterbore 52 extending from its upper surface which receives the reduced end 16 of barrel 12. Reduced end 16 of barrel 12 is secured in the counterbore 52 by a cement or the like. Ring 44 has a pair of diametrically opposed grooves 54 extending radially from the central opening 50 in the ring 44. Although the bottom head 40 is shown as being two separate rings which are secured together, the bottom head 48 may be made in one piece. The outer diameter of the bottom head 40 is larger than the outer diameter of the flange 28 of the top head 26.

A yarn is wound on the spool 10 of the present invention in the following manner:

The spool 10 is mounted on a spindle of a twisting or spinning machine. Such spindle is driven at one end and is free at the other end. The spool 10 is mounted on the spindle with the bottom head 40 being adjacent the driven end of the spindle and the top head 26 of the spool lii being adjacent the free end of the spindle. The spindle has a pair of drive lugs which fit into the grooves 54 in the bottom head 40 of the spool 10 to rotate the spool 10 with the spindle.

A few turns of the yarn are first wound around the annular groove 30 in the top head 26 of the spool 10. The free end of the yarn is hooked onto the clip 36 to prevent the yarn from becoming unwound from the spool 10. The yarn is then passed through one of the grooves 32 in the top head 26, and one or two turns of the yarn are wound around the barrel 12 next to the top head 26.

The spindle of the twisting or spinning machine is then rotated to rotate the spool 1t) and wind the yarn on the barrel 12. As the yarn is being wound on the barrel 12, the yarn is guided back and forth along the barrel 12 between the heads 26 and 40 to obtain an even distribution of the yarn on the spool 10. When the spool 10 is filled, the rotation of the spindle of the twisting or spinning machine is stopped, the yarn is cut, and the filled spool 10 is removed from the spindle.

Since the top head 26 is adjacent the free end of the spindle of the twisting or spinning machine, the top head 26 is easily accessible to the operator for starting the winding of the yarn on the spool 10. The grooves 32 in the top head 26 permit the yarn to be passed to the barrel 12 very close to the surface of the barrel 12 so that a tight winding can be started on the barrel 12 very close to the top head 26. By having the top head 26 away from the driven end of the spindle of the twisting or spinning machine, the exposed end of the thread which is wound in the annular groove 30 cannot be soiled by any oil which may spatter from the bearings on which the spindle is mounted. The larger diameter bottom head 40 also protects the yarn fi'om being soiled by any oil spattering from the spindle bearings. The bottom head 44 being larger in diameter than the top head 26 is also heavier than the top head 26. Thus, the center of gravity of the spool 10 is closer to the bottom head 40, and therefore closer to the driven end of the spindle of the twisting or spinning machine. This reduces the amount of vibration of the spool 10 during the twisting or spinning operation so that a more even distribution of the yarn on the spool 10 is provided.

When the spool 10 is filled with the yarn, the end of the yarn which is wound in the annular groove 30 in the top head 26 becomes the tail end of the yarn on the spool 10. The tail end of the yarn being separated from the rest of the yarn on the spool 10 is easily accessible so that it can be unwound from the spool 10 and tied to the tail end of another spool.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A spool comprising a tubular, cylindrical barrel, an annular head cemented to the outer periphery of one end of said barrel, said head having an annular groove in its outer periphery, a second annular head secured around the other end of said barrel, said second head being of larger diameter than said first head, the portion of the first mentioned annular head below said groove being of smaller diameter than the portion above said groove, and ribs on the inner peripheral surface of the first mentioned annular head biting into the outer peripheral surface of said barrel at said one end.

2. A spool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first mentioned head is provided with at least one longitudinal groove in its outer periphery, said groove extending from said annular groove to the bottom end of said first mentioned head, said groove extending in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said barrel.

3. A spool comprising a tubular, cylindrical barrel, an annular head secured around the top end of said barrel, said head having an annular flange extending radially outwardly therefrom adjacent the top of said head, a clip secured to the bottom surface of said flange, an annular groove in the outer periphery of said head next to the bottom surface of said flange, and at least one 4 I? longitudinal groove in the outer periphery of said head extending from said annular groove to the bottom of said head, and a second annular head secured around the bottom end of said barrel, said second head being larger in diameter than the diameter of the flange of said first head.

4. A spool in accordance with claim 3 in which the barrel has a reduced outer diameter bottom end which is secured in a central opening in said bottom head, and a bushing in said barrel at said top end, said bushing having prongs which bite into the peripheral surface of the barrel to prevent relative rotation between said bushing and said barrel.

5. A spool in accordance with claim 4 in which said bottom head has a pair of diametrically opposed grooves in its bottom surface extending radially from the central opening in said bottom head.

6. A spool in accordance with claim 5 in which said bottom head comprises two annular rings secured together one above the other by rivets, With the reduced diameter bottom end of said barrel being secured in the central opening in the top ring, and the radially extending grooves being in the bottom ring.

References (Jited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,868,408 Clinton July 19, 1932 1,881,383 Wylie Oct. 4, 1932 1,991,880 Chafiin Feb. 19, 1935 2,048,995 Clinton July 28, 193.6 2,130,265 Clinton Sept. 13, 1938 2,403,908 Carlson July 16, 1946 2,485,776 Roberts Oct. 25, 1949 2,573,598 Perry et a1 Oct. 30, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 681,366 Great Britain Oct. 22, 1952 

